


i'm holding every breath for you

by kathillards



Series: girls like girls [6]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: F/F, Fake Dating, Mutual Pining, bed sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-08-14 23:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8032621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathillards/pseuds/kathillards
Summary: Kendall stares at her, mind short-circuiting. “You… you want to go with me to my family reunion? As my girlfriend?”Shelby shrugs. “I think it would be fun.”—- ShelbyKendall, fake dating.





	i'm holding every breath for you

**Author's Note:**

> last time i started writing a fake dating fic, it ended up at 67k words and i'm still not done. so in the meantime, have this dumb 6k thing i wrote because i was mad at dino charge for denying me the gay i deserve. just pretend kendall is like 21 because i hate canon.

**i'm holding every breath for you**

_i don't think that passenger seat  
has ever looked this good to me_

—- taylor swift, i'd lie

* * *

 

Kendall stares at the letter in abject horror. It’s pink, and floral-scented, and written in cursive font, and that’s not even getting into the nightmare of what’s written _on_ it.

“Hey, Ms. Morgan,” Shelby greets from behind her, voice muffled around the boxes she’s bringing in to the lab. “This is everything for the new weapons system – what’s up?” Her voice trails off into a question when she notices that way Kendall is frowning down at the letter.

“Nothing,” Kendall says quickly, closing the letter up and turning to face Shelby, shaking her head. “Don’t worry about it. Thanks for bringing in the equipment.”

“Well, somebody had to,” Shelby says, rolling her shoulder. “The boys are a little busy cleaning up Chase’s latest disaster in the kitchen.”

Kendall rolls her eyes, although it’s half in fondness at this point. “So, you thought you’d come here and help me out to avoid cleaning up after him, right?”

Shelby grins. “You know me so well.” Kendall moves to unpack the first box and misses Shelby leaning over to snag the letter until she says brightly, “Oh, cool, a family reunion?”

Kendall whirls, annoyed. “You know it’s illegal to read other people’s mail?” Half the annoyance is at herself for leaving the letter out in the first place; she should know better when working around the dino charge rangers. None of them have the slightest clue what _privacy_ means.

“Sorry,” Shelby says, though she doesn’t seem very apologetic at all. “You seemed so worried, I thought you’d been called for jury duty or something.”

Kendall snorts. “Jury duty would be preferable to my family, let me tell you.” Shelby looks at her questioningly so she continues with a sigh, “My family’s pretty well-off – ” Which is a nice way of saying _filthy fucking rich_. “And my sister loves throwing these family reunions just so she can brag about her hot new boyfriend and show off to everyone. It’s a nightmare.”

“Sounds like it,” Shelby agrees with a straight face. “Being around your family for a whole day? What a drag.”

Kendall makes a face at her. “Try, being around some of the most pretentious, stuck-up people on this side of the country for a weekend, and then having to wear pretty dresses and high heels and – ”

“You wear those already,” Shelby points out casually. Kendall pauses, glancing down at her heels.

“My dresses are business formal, not pretty,” she argues.

Shelby shrugs. “I think they’re pretty. What are you _really_ worried about here?”

Kendall rolls one of the batteries around in the palm of her hand as she considers how to answer without reacting to the compliment. “Did you actually read the letter?”

“No,” Shelby says, eyeing the letter as it sits, innocently, on the countertop, still annoyingly pink. “Just the invitation part. Why?”

Kendall sighs and reaches over to pick up the letter and read it out loud to her. “And I do so hope you can make it, Kendall, we’ve been missing you at the last few reunions. I know you’re _so_ busy with that little dinosaur museum of yours, but surely you can make some time for your family. Maybe this time you can even bring a girl home for us to meet?”

Shelby’s brow furrows. “A girl? Why do they – _oh_.”

Kendall folds up the letter and turns back to her boxes. “Don’t go spreading it around,” she warns over her shoulder.

“I wouldn’t,” Shelby says quickly. “I mean, that’s – that’s cool. That’s…”

“Stop,” Kendall sighs. “Don’t stress about it, okay? I’m not going, anyway.”

“Why not?” Shelby asks with a frown. “Just because you don’t have a girlfriend – ”

“ _Because_ ,” Kendall says, rummaging through the open box for the part she needs, “I’m not interested in my mother and my sister badgering me about having a girlfriend, why I don’t have a girlfriend, when I’m gonna get a girlfriend, will I ever have a boyfriend again – ”

“Will you?” Shelby asks curiously.

Kendall shoots her a look. “ _No_. And since I don’t have a girlfriend, that’s all I have to look forward to at family reunions, so if you don’t mind, I’m just going to stay here and do my _job_ this weekend.”

Shelby nods slowly. “How big is your family?”

“It’s a decent size,” Kendall says, tilting her had. “Why?”

“I don’t know, I was just thinking…” Shelby pauses, tracing circles on the empty countertop where the letter had just been. “I mean, I could go with you? If you wanted to, like, get your sister off your back, or whatever. I know how it feels to have your family pressuring you into something.”

Kendall stares at her, mind short-circuiting. “You… you want to go with me to my family reunion? As my _girlfriend_?”

Shelby shrugs. “I think it would be fun.”

Kendall frowns. “But you’re not – you’re not gay.” She wants to add ‘ _Are you?’_ but Shelby’s expression changes, and she stops.

“I’ve dated girls before,” Shelby says casually. “It’s not a big deal, Kend—Ms. Morgan. Only if you want to.”

“What about Tyler?” Kendall asks, crossing her arms.

Shelby sighs. “Don’t worry about that.”

Kendall raises an eyebrow. “I’ve seen the way you look at him,” she points out. Shelby’s expression fades to hurt and she retracks, “I mean, I just thought you guys had a thing.”

“It’s not a thing,” Shelby says resolutely. “But if you don’t want me to come with you, you can just say no.”

The weird thing is, Kendall’s not thinking about saying no, at least not anymore. “You’d have to dress up for dinner,” she says warningly. “And we’d have to share a room for a night. And talk to some of the most annoying people on the planet.”

Shelby grins. “Are they more annoying than the boys?”

Right on cue, there’s a shout, and then an explosion, from the café above them. Kendall sighs. “I’ll have to reevaluate that question when I go see them, I guess.”

Shelby’s face brightens. “So that’s a yes?”

Kendall shrugs, turning away. “Pack your high heels,” she says. “I’ll be driving home on Friday.”

-:-

Coral Beach is about four hours away by car, and Kendall spends most of that drive stressing out until Shelby gets tired of her tapping her fingers on the wheel and puts on the radio.

“What do you like, classics?” she asks, going through the stations until she finds one that plays exactly that.

Kendall looks at her in confusion. “Uh, yeah, how’d you know?”

Shelby laughs. “I mean, have you met you?” Kendall frowns at her and she adds, “I’ve known you for, like, two years now Ms. Morgan.”

Kendall rolls her eyes. “You can probably call me Kendall now. Since, you know, it might seem off to my family that I make my girlfriend call me _Ms. Morgan_.” Just saying the word _girlfriend_ aloud fills the air inside her car with electricity she doesn’t want, but before she can figure out how to get rid of it, Shelby’s speaking again.

“I don’t know, we could maybe pass it off as a kink – ” Kendall throws an empty bag of chips at her and Shelby catches it with a grin. “Sorry, you’re right. Kendall it is.” The way she says _Kendall_ is far too soft for her name, as if she’s an ordinary girl instead of the museum director, or the daughter of Coral Beach’s richest politicians, all things that make her sharp and hard and focused instead of _soft_.

Oblivious to the feelings fluttering around inside her, Shelby continues with, “So, we’re almost there. Are you gonna tell me what I should be prepared for?”

Kendall sends her a sidelong glance. “My sister is going to interrogate you within an inch of your life,” she says casually. “And then my mother is going to ask you about wedding plans.”

“Are we getting married?” Shelby asks, straight-faced.

Kendall rolls her eyes. “They’ve been asking me that literally since the _day_ California legalized gay marriage. They’re not about to stop now. Just smile and nod and say we’re taking it slow until they leave you alone.”

“Are we taking it slow?” Shelby asks, raising her eyebrows in question. “We should come up with a story, right?”

Kendall sighs, already annoyed at the prospect. “I don’t like talking about my personal life,” she begins, ignoring Shelby’s muttered, “No kidding,” with practiced ease. “So I’m used to ignoring my family when they ask. If you want to come up with a cover story…”

“Yes,” Shelby says instantly, sounding way too excited. Kendall shoots her a suspicious look, but she only smiles. “I’m thinking, we met at an archaeological dig – ”

“Or we met when you came up to me in the middle of my museum and demanded to _go_ on an archaeological dig, despite not having the qualifications?” Kendall can’t help but point out.

Shelby sticks her tongue out at her. “That’s not _romantic_.”

“It wasn’t very romantic, no,” Kendall agrees. Shelby tosses the bag of potato chips back at her. “Don’t do that, I’m driving.”

“Are you this way with all your girlfriends?” Shelby demands.

“Only the fake ones,” Kendall says dryly. Shelby huffs as she leans back in her seat, thankfully forgetting about coming up with a cover story for the rest of the drive. She does change the radio station to pop music, maybe in revenge, but Kendall kind of ends up enjoying the nonsense bubblegum pop a little, so it’s okay.

-:-

“All right, I got it,” Shelby says when they pull up into the driveway of her house. “We met at an archaeological dig and you were so impressed by my skill in paleontology that you – ”

“No,” Kendall says. Shelby frowns at her. “Please, my sister would never buy that. She knows nothing impresses me.”

“Except _maybe_ your beloved girlfriend?” Shelby suggests. “Come _on_ , we have to make this believable, don’t we?”

“We have to make it believable for a day and a half, and then we’re breaking up,” Kendall deadpans. Shelby rolls her eyes as she gets out of the passenger side. “Just – give me your hand.”

Shelby turns her hand, palm up, and offers it to her. “You know how to hold hands?” she teases.

Kendall glowers at her as she interlaces their fingers. Shelby’s hand is warm, but not sweaty, and she squeezes gently, just once, enough for her pulse rate to pick up. “Believe it or not, I’ve had girlfriends before.”

“What happened to them?” Shelby asks, half-jokingly. Kendall doesn’t dignify that with an answer as they walk up the driveway towards the door to her house, her insides already tumbling over each other from dread, anxiety, and nerves. She _hates_ family reunions. Even having Shelby here is only marginally helpful. _Marginally_.

“Kendall!” her sister exclaims as soon as she opens the door, enveloping Kendall in a hug that smells of Gucci perfume and feathers, for some reason. The reason turns out to be her sister’s feathered vest when she pulls back to actually look her in the eye. “Oh, it’s so good to see you. I thought for _sure_ you were gonna skip out again.”

“I was,” Kendall says, and Keira sighs. “Shelby is the one who wanted to come.” At least, that part’s true enough. Keira’s eyes narrow in on Shelby at Kendall’s side, sizing her up immediately.

“You must be my sister’s ever elusive girlfriend,” Keira says, beaming. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Shelby says with a grin, offering her other hand to shake. “I’m just excited to finally meet Kendall’s family. She’s very…”

“Private?” Keira laughs. “Believe me, I know.”

Kendall frowns at both of them. “If you two are _quite_ done,” she says loudly, which has the unfortunate side-effect of catching the attention of her mother, who has just descended down the stairs.

“Am I seeing right? Is my long-lost daughter finally coming home?” Katherine Morgan is a dramatic woman, made only moreso by her daughter being decidedly _un_ dramatic. She spreads her arms wide for a hug before she even reaches Kendall, holding her as if she’s been gone for years instead of just a few months since her last visit.

“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Kendall grumbles, but she hugs her mother back anyway. “How are you, Mom?”

“Peachy,” her mother says with a wink. “And you, my dear, must be Shelby? Kendall’s told us absolutely nothing about you besides your name. Oh, you’re so pretty, thank goodness. Much better than the _last_ girl – ”

“ _Mother_!” Kendall snaps. Shelby sends her a curious look, half-giggling, and Kendall ignores her gaze deliberately.

Katherine smiles, dazzling, at her daughter. “Sorry, darling. Well, come in, come in, we were just getting ready to have lunch. Everyone else will be here shortly. Go say hi to your grandmother, why don’t you? And Shelby, why don’t you come help us in the kitchen?”

Her mother has a way of getting everyone to do exactly what she wants as soon as she wants it, so Kendall watches as Shelby gets swept away into the kitchen by the whirlwind that is the Morgan women with a sigh. At least her grandmother isn’t quite so theatrical.

-:-

“So, tell me about this girlfriend of yours,” Grandma Betty says with a warm smile as she pats the seat next to her on the couch. “I’ve so been looking forward to finally meeting someone from your other life.”

“It’s my only life,” Kendall says, sitting down carefully.

“Ah, yes, you were never so fond of the lifestyles of the rich and elite as the rest of them, were you?” Grandma Betty laughs, patting Kendall’s knee. “How is the museum doing?”

“It’s doing great, actually,” Kendall says, relaxing a little. Talking about the museum is much easier than talking about her fake relationship. “We had a bit of trouble with the Zandar exhibit, but we got it sorted out, and Prince Phillip actually sent us a huge donation to make up for it.”

“Why, that doesn’t sound like royalty at all,” Grandma Betty says with another laugh. “How come he’s so generous?”

Kendall grins a little. “I think he has a crush on one of my employees.”

“That would do it,” Grandma Betty agrees. “And you?”

“Do I have a crush?” Kendall asks, unthinkingly, so used to the questions that she’d completely forgotten her story. “Oh, I mean – you mean Shelby, right, well – we – uh – ”

“Relax, doodlebug, you don’t have to give me all the details,” Grandma Betty smiles. “Just tell me, does she make you happy?”

“I – ” Kendall opens her mouth to answer, but Shelby saves her by popping her head around the door of the drawing room, flour sprinkled on her nose from whatever they’d been baking in the kitchen.

“It’s time for lunch,” she says cheerfully, smiling at Kendall. “They wanted me to let you know.”

Kendall bites her lip to hide a returning smile. “I’ll be right there with G-ma Betty,” she tells her. “By the way, you have something on your nose.”

Shelby ‘s nose wrinkles adorably and she bats at it. “Must be flour. Is it off?”

“Almost,” Kendall says, standing and walking over. She carefully doesn’t think about her grandmother watching as she casually brushes the flour off Shelby’s nose, then traces her thumb over the specks of it that got on her cheek to wipe them off, too. “There you go.”

Shelby smiles at her as her fingers linger on her cheek. “Thanks,” she says, and for a second, Kendall thinks she might just lean in and kiss her, but she doesn’t. “I’ll see you in there, all right?”

“Yeah, be right there,” Kendall echoes, hand dropping limply to her side as Shelby darts off into the dining room at Keira’s call. She turns to look back at her grandmother, who smiles knowingly at her, but doesn’t repeat her original question.

 _Does she make you happy?_ Kendall’s kind of glad she doesn’t have to answer.

-:-

Lunch goes about as well as can be expected, with her family. Her sister fawns over her new boyfriend – tennis player, trust fund brat, face like mashed potatoes, exactly her sister’s type. Some of her more homophobic cousins send her and Shelby, seated together, small frowns, but they know better than to make a scene, and she knows better than to acknowledge them. Her aunts try to question her about the relationship, and she ignores them as much as she can, offering only tight-lipped smiles around her food.

“I see you’re still not much of a talker,” Aunt Olivia says with a huff. Kendall manages to refrain from rolling her eyes. “Shelby, how ever did you get her into a relationship? Kendall runs from those faster than our puppy runs from his own shadow.”

Kendall scowls. “I’m right here, Aunt Olivia,” even though she knows it won’t make any difference to her aunt. And she’s not technically wrong, anyway.

Shelby flashes her a smile, then answers smoothly, “Well, it was a bit of a challenge, but Kendall’s worth it. I’ve never met anyone as smart and dedicated as she is. Or as pretty,” she adds with a giggle that sounds obviously fake to Kendall’s ears, even though her whole face is warm with the compliments.

Mostly, she’s surprised nobody’s picked up on the acting. Aunt Olivia smiles her usual, thin-lipped smile at Shelby and says, “I must say, I’m glad you found someone who can bring you out of your shell, Kendall, dear.”

“I don’t have a shell,” Kendall mutters, stabbing her fork into her spaghetti. Under the table, Shelby finds her hand and intertwines their fingers. In any other circumstances, Kendall would have pulled away but today, it’s almost calming, feeling Shelby’s hand in hers.

“Of course you don’t,” Shelby teases. Kendall shoots her a look and she smiles. “So, what are we doing after lunch?”

“Games!” Keira announces cheerfully. “At least this year you’ll have your own partner, Kendall,” she adds pointedly.

“Yay,” Kendall says, completely straight-faced. Shelby tries not to laugh out loud.

-:-

“You know archery?” Shelby asks in surprise as Kendall draws her bow. “Is this, like, a rich people thing?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Kendall says. “This and horseback riding. Luckily, we don’t have stables here anymore, so you don’t have to see me fall on my face in the mud.”

“That’s a shame,” Shelby agrees sarcastically. Kendall elbows her, making her grin. “I’m kidding. Are you any good at archery?”

Kendall grimaces. “Let’s find out,” she says as her mother calls out for everyone to fire. Her first arrow lands three rings off of center, while two of her cousins sink theirs directly into the center of their targets and start cheering. “Guess not.”

“Are you kidding?” Shelby demands. “That was amazing. And I think you got third place.”

“Third place means nothing,” Kendall says dismissively, but Shelby’s words spin around her head, filling her with warmth she doesn’t want to be there. “You want to take the next turn?”

“No way,” Shelby laughs, shaking her head. “I would probably accidentally take somebody’s eye out. Probably yours.”

“Only if you stand too close,” Kendall says with a grin, before realizing what she’s doing. Shelby smiles and nudges her shoulder as her mother calls for the next round.

Putting her own bizarre impulse to flirt out of her mind, Kendall turns back to the target, but even though Shelby’s moved back, she’s still standing a bit too close for her to focus on anything other than the feeling of Shelby behind her, her whispered, “Good luck,” and the fact that even though she can’t turn to see her, she can already imagine Shelby crossing her fingers for her.

She doesn’t hit bulls-eye in any of the round, but it’s not like she particularly cared about winning, anyway. Shelby throws her arms around her in a hug at the end, and somehow, that’s much better.

-:-

An hour later, Shelby comes up to where she’s sitting under a tree, reading a book, almost thoroughly soaked to the bones. Kendall raises her eyebrows, not even having to ask.

“Remind me never to get in a water balloon fight with your family ever again,” Shelby huffs, plopping down on the grass next to her. “How come you got out of it?”

Kendall laughs a little and offers her the towel she’d been keeping for exactly this occasion. “My family knows better than to make me do something I don’t want to do.”

Shelby snorts, toweling off her hair. Kendall tries to absorb herself in her book rather than noticing the way her pink shirt is sticking to her skin, or the water droplets sliding down her arms, or her legs bare under her skirt, stretched out luxuriously on the grass – “Don’t be such a buzzkill, Kendall. It was _fun_. Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“No, I’m here for the free food,” Kendall says dryly. Shelby rolls her eyes and pokes her in the ribs, making her jump. “ _Hey_.”

“Don’t tell me the great, fearsome Ms. Morgan is _ticklish_ ,” Shelby mock-gasps as Kendall snaps her book shut and bats at Shelby’s hands with it. She stops attempting to tickle her after a moment, though her laughter is so infectious, Kendall has to work twice as hard to hide her own smile. “Hey, do you like pet names?”

“No.” Kendall wrinkles her nose. “I hate pet names.”

“You hate everything,” Shelby points out, fondly exasperated.

“Not everything,” Kendall says, before she can help it. “I don’t hate you.”

The words hang in the air for a moment, too quiet to mask the loud beating of her heart, as Shelby stares at her, face soft, eyes warm, studying her, looking for something – Kendall doesn’t know what. Her lips tilt into a smile after a pause, a breath escaping her in a sigh.

“That’s good to know,” Shelby says lightly. “ _Sweetheart_.”

Kendall hits her on the arm, moment broken, but she’s laughing when she relaxes back against the tree trunk, Shelby’s shoulder bumping hers, as they sit under the afternoon sunshine and watch her little cousins play in the backyard. It feels almost too nice to be her life.

-:-

Later that evening, after another dinner spent dodging her sister’s questions about her non-existent relationship, Kendall finds Shelby out in the backyard where the targets and arrows are still up, carefully stringing one onto Kendall’s bow.

“Need any help?” she asks lightly, trying not to sneak up on her, although Shelby still jumps in surprise.

“Oh, it’s you,” she says in relief. “I was afraid it would be someone else.”

“Just me,” Kendall assures her. “How’re you doing with that?”

Shelby half-smiles and lifts the bow up. “I did manage to shoot one, but…” She points at an arrow sticking up out of the grass near the actual target. “I guess we can’t all be professionally trained archers.”

Kendall scoffs. “I wouldn’t call it professional.” Shelby raises an eyebrow at her and she amends, “Okay, maybe a little. But anyone can do it if you have a good teacher. Here, let me show you.”

Shelby runs her tongue over her lips, maybe unintentionally, and Kendall has to force herself to look at her hands instead. Carefully, she adjusts Shelby’s fingers on both sides of the arrow, making sure not to touch anything she doesn’t have to – it’s a little hard when she can feel Shelby breathing at her side, her face close enough that the wind is fluttering her dark hair against Kendall’s cheeks when she leans a bit too close, but –

Her heart somersaults; she backs away. “Now aim,” she says, praying her voice is steadier out loud than it is in her head. Shelby does as she says, gaze focused on the target and thankfully away from her. “Don’t hold it too tight or too loosely. The way I showed you. Now fire.”

The arrow sinks into the target board, about six rings off of bulls-eye. Shelby looks delighted anyway, clapping her hands as she turns to face Kendall. “Did you _see_ that?”

“I did,” Kendall says with a laugh. “Good job. You totally could have played in the game earlier.”

“I’m nowhere near as good as you, though,” Shelby argues, dropping the bow to the ground and stepping closer. “Besides, you totally deserved second place. I’m pretty sure Jenny cheated.”

Kendall snorts, ducking her head down. “I told you, second— ”

“Second place means nothing, yeah,” Shelby finishes with a grin. “But you had fun, right?”

“Yeah,” Kendall admits, losing track of her thoughts the longer Shelby stares at her. “I did.”

“Good,” Shelby says, smiling at her. “That’s what I’m here for.”

Kendall doesn’t have anything else to say, no explanation to offer for why her hand moves of its own accord to gingerly brush two fingers against Shelby’s cheek, why her heart is beating triple time and she can’t seem to stop thinking about Shelby’s smile, her lips, her laughter, kissing her –

There’s a crash from inside the house, followed by shouting, and a baby crying, and Kendall jerks away from Shelby like she’s been burned. She turns away, not fast enough to miss the flicker of disappointment in Shelby’s eyes, dropping her hand as if it’s a stone.

“I should go – make sure everything’s okay,” she murmurs, taking two too-large steps back. “Um, I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, I’ll be inside in a few,” Shelby says, waving her hand. Kendall smiles uncertainly and nods, and then does her best not to run into the house, far away from the feelings the evening has stirred inside her.

-:-

She had almost forgotten, in the hustle and bustle of the family reunion, that she had to share her bedroom. More importantly, she only had one bed. Somehow, she’d considered this before embarking on the trip and deemed it irrelevant – after all, it was _Shelby_. And it’s not like she couldn’t share a bed with a girl.

But something feels different now. Kendall stares down at her purple sheets and regrets ever coming here, especially when her bedroom door opens and Shelby steps inside, having already changed into her night clothes.

“Do you want me to sleep on the – ” Shelby begins, clearly sensing Kendall’s discomfort just from being in the same room as her, but Kendall shakes her head quickly.

“No, no, of course not, you’re a guest,” she insists, stepping back. “Why don’t you go settle in? I’ll go change and, uh, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” Shelby says, watching her go. “I – I’ll be here.”

She feels a little bad, leaving her alone like that, but there’s no way she could have stayed in her suddenly-too-small bedroom without having a panic attack. She grabs her pajamas and heads down the hall to the bathroom, stopping only when she almost runs into her sister for not looking at where she was going.

“Whoa, are you okay?” Keira asks in concern, reaching an arm out to steady her. “You’re not normally so distracted, Kends.”

“I’m fine,” Kendall says, shaking her head. “I’m just – just tired, that’s all.”

Keira smiles at her. “I know our family can be exhausting, but I’m glad you came. And I’m glad you brought Shelby, she’s great. It’s really nice to see you so happy.”

Kendall looks at her sharply, startled. “How can you tell?” she asks, stomach flipping over upside down.

Keira shrugs, linking her arm with Kendall’s as she reroutes to walk down the hallway at her side. “You smile more, you laugh more. I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you look at her.”

Unbidden, Kendall’s own words from two days ago echo in her mind: _I see the way you look at him_. For someone who prided herself on her observational skills, clearly she was still no match for her sister, because she hadn’t even noticed her _own_ feelings, let alone understanding Shelby’s.

“I’m happy for you, Kendall,” Keira says, stopping in front of the bathroom. “You okay? You seem… distant.”

Kendall sighs, running a hand through her hair. “I’m good, thanks, Keira. And – thanks. For everything. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

Keira squeezes her hand. “Good night, Kends,” she says, blowing her a kiss before walking away. Kendall sighs again, this time much more heavier, and heads into the bathroom to change. She could handle one night. Probably.

Shelby still isn’t asleep, scrolling through her phone by the time Kendall gets back, even though she’d dawdled in the bathroom for as long as she possibly could. When she stops at her side of the bed, Shelby closes her phone and turns over to smile reassuringly at her.

“Hey, you got through the day,” she says cheerfully. “Score one for Kendall. I mean Ms. Morgan.”

Kendall looks at her questioningly as she finally gets into bed. “You can still call me Kendall, we’re not home yet.”

“Yeah, but I’m just practicing,” Shelby says, lying on her back and looking up at the ceiling. “I wouldn’t wanna slip up over there and have the boys ask what we did this weekend.”

Her heart flips, half in guilt, half in pleasure. She can only imagine the amount of teasing Chase would force her to endure, not to mention Koda’s questions. “Fair enough,” she agrees, pulling the blankets up. “Good night, Shelby.”

“Good night,” Shelby murmurs, but she doesn’t move to get more comfortable. Carefully, Kendall curls up onto her side, facing Shelby even though she knows that’s probably not a good idea, and closes her eyes first.

It takes her a long time to fall asleep, listening to Shelby’s breathing and the pounding of her own heart.

-:-

In the morning, she wakes up to Shelby’s head on her shoulders, her hair tickling her collarbone, and their two blankets intermingled until she can’t tell which one was supposed to be hers in the first place. Alarmed, she jolts upright, startling Shelby awake in the process.

“Sorry,” she says hastily, reaching for her glasses on the bedside table. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, I just – ”

Shelby rolls over onto her side of the bed and throws an arm over her eyes. “It’s cool. Can you turn off the sun?”

Kendall presses her lips together to smother a laugh. It’s hard not to smile when Shelby looks so cute, sleepy and disgruntled, and somehow still pretty in the hazy morning sunshine. She knows if she looks into a mirror right now, _she’d_ probably look like Cousin Itt.

“Get some more rest, I’ll see you downstairs,” she says, not sure if Shelby is even awake enough to hear her before she quickly scrambles out of bed and tries to calm her breathing down. Her grandmother is already at the breakfast nook when she finally makes her way downstairs, dressed and semi-ready for the day.

“Sleep well, doodlebug?” Grandma Betty asks with a smile.

“Yeah,” Kendall lies, adjusting her blazer – it feels almost weird to be back in work clothes, after having spent a whole day around Shelby in her actual normal clothes. “I’m afraid we have to leave after breakfast, you know how it is.”

“Of course, of course, the museum awaits,” Grandma Betty says, waving her hand as Kendall sits down next to her. “I think I might drive down and give you a visit, make sure things aren’t on fire, the usual, you know?”

Kendall smiles and leans into her grandmother’s hug. “I can’t wait,” she says honestly as Grandma Betty pushes over a plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs towards her. “Thanks, G-ma.”

“Are you ever going to tell me how you and Shelby met?” Grandma Betty inquires after a few moments of comfortable silence where she sips her tea and Kendall enjoys her homemade cooking. “I think everyone else has interrogated you but me.”

Kendall snorts. “Probably,” she says. Shelby’s stories fly through her mind – archaeological dig, love at first sight, all the usual romantic clichés – but when she opens her mouth, she finds herself saying, “She works at the museum, and she’s always wanted to go on a dig but she never had the proper training. And then one day, she stowed away and helped me save an incredibly important treasure, and ever since then…”

Grandma Betty smiles at her. “You fell in love?”

Kendall swallows. “Yeah, I guess I did,” she admits. Somebody clears their throat; she looks up with a start to see Shelby entering the room, a smile on her face aimed at Kendall. “Hey,” she greets, floundering a little for something to say.

“Hey,” Shelby returns easily, sliding into the seat next to her. “Morning, G-ma Betty,” she greets. “How’s breakfast?”

“Why don’t you try it and find out?” Grandma Betty says, smiling warmly as she makes another plate for Shelby. “You girls excited to be heading home?”

“Actually, I really enjoyed it here,” Shelby says, glancing at Kendall. “You guys are a lot of fun. You should come visit us at the museum more often.”

“I was just saying the same thing,” Grandma Betty laughs. Kendall manages a smile as she forces another mouthful of scrambled eggs down her throat, hoping against hope that her face isn’t quite as red as it feels.

-:-

Goodbyes take about an hour, as she’d expected, so they’re on the road to Amber Beach by noon, the windows rolled down to enjoy the fresh summer air and soft pop music playing from the radio. Kendall doesn’t say much, not even to ask Shelby to change the station to classics again, figuring she owes her one for the weekend.

It’s Shelby who breaks the silence first. “You know, your family really wasn’t as bad as I thought they’d be.”

Kendall scoffs. “They’d be a lot worse if you weren’t there, believe me,” she says, though a smile twitches her lips. “Thanks for coming, by the way.”

“What are friends for?” Shelby says cheerfully. The word _friends_ lands heavy in the air between them, and Kendall looks away, fingers drumming on the steering wheel out of nervous habit. Shelby licks her lips and glances out the window again. This time, the silence is ruined by Shelby’s phone vibrating with a text message.

“Is that Tyler?” Kendall asks casually as Shelby picks it up to look at it.

“Yeah,” she admits, but she doesn’t swipe to unlock her phone, instead just letting it lay in her hand for a minute before she puts it back down. “He’s asking when we’ll get home.”

“Probably around five, with the traffic,” Kendall says automatically, then realizes Shelby hadn’t asked. “Wait, are you not answering him?”

“I will,” Shelby says defensively. “I just – wanna enjoy the drive.”

“Oh,” Kendall says, gaze darting between Shelby and the road. “Okay.”

There’s another moment of prolonged silence, and then Shelby says, with the deliberately casual air of someone who has rehearsed a statement for days, “For someone so smart, you sure can be oblivious, can’t you?”

Kendall frowns. “Excuse me?”

Shelby rolls her eyes. “You still think I like Tyler, don’t you?”

“Well,” Kendall hesitates. “Don’t you?”

“You think I would go off for the weekend to pretend to be your girlfriend if I liked someone else?” Shelby asks. There’s no demand or edge to her voice, but Kendall can hear the frustrations beneath, and her heart suddenly feels like it’s doing somersaults.

“I don’t know!” she admits, annoyed as well, and mostly at herself. “Would you?”

“No,” Shelby says as if it’s extremely obvious. “Do you really think – ”

“Okay, I get it,” Kendall interrupts. “I know nothing about feelings. Can you just tell me what you’re trying to say?”

Shelby sighs, shifting in her seat to face her, although Kendall doesn’t take her eyes off the road. “I like you, and I don’t want to go back to calling you Ms. Morgan when we get to Amber Beach.”

“…Oh.” Kendall stares out at the streets, then makes a turn away from the highway entrance and parks haphazardly in an empty train station nearby as Shelby watches her carefully. “You don’t have to call me Ms. Morgan when we get back.”

Shelby frowns. “That’s it?”

“Give me a minute,” Kendall sighs, taking her hands off the wheel and leaning her head back. The words come surprisingly easy to her lips, given that she hasn’t genuinely said them to anyone else in a while. “I like you, too.”

“You do?” For once, Shelby actually seems surprised, like she hadn’t expected that to be the truth, or, if she knew that it was, for Kendall to admit it. “I mean – for real?”

Kendall shrugs. “You think I’d let you come to my house and pretend to be my girlfriend if I didn’t?”

A giggle escapes Shelby that turns into a laugh. “I don’t know, you’re pretty good at mixed signals, Kendall.” Her name is warmer now, still soft, like she actually enjoys saying it. Kendall feels a smile blossom across her face. “So… when we get back home…”

“Yeah,” Kendall says, unable to stop the smile no matter how hard she tries. “Yeah, we can – we should go out. You know. For real.”

Shelby grins at her and then leans over. Even though she isn’t surprised by the kiss, it does startle her how easily she melts into it, how soothing and comfortable it feels to just sit in her car, not worried about who might see her, the wind blowing her hair as she kisses Shelby, her hands on her cheek and her laughter on her lips.


End file.
